Posted: 5/14/2014 6:20:22 PM EDT
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Thought this might be of some interest to those of us in NC. Copied from a Grass Roots NC e-mail:
Most North Carolinians know that this state doesn't have a gun registry. What many North Carolinians don't know is that Durham County does have a gun registry; a throwback to racist Jim Crow laws that once plagued our great state. In 1935 the State Legislature bowed to pressure from local officials and granted Durham County an exception to its rule against gun registries in the state. Durham County's gun registry was another way for the county sheriff to capriciously and discriminately criminalize certain law-abiding citizens. This law is so recklessly worded that you could be charged with a misdemeanor offense for passing through Durham County with an unregistered firearm! Of course, back in the day this was selectively enforced; we'll leave it to you to imagine how. This racist law persists to this day, and responsible law-abiding gun owners in Durham County are still required to go to the courthouse and surrender information about their lawfully-owned firearms—firearms that are nobody else's business, and firearms that the other ninety-nine counties in North Carolina have no need to know about. North Carolina Senate Bill 226 was introduced by North Carolina Senator Mike Woodard in 2013 to repeal Durham's racist gun registry and bring it into the 21st century. Grassroots North Carolina would like to thank Rules Chair Rep. Tim Moore and Rep. Thom Tillis for agreeing to move this bill through the house in this summer's short session, to help ensure that Durham County's law-abiding citizens don't continue to be treated like criminals. We're asking you to contact Representatives Moore and Tillis to thank them for agreeing to move swiftly on Senate Bill 226 •Contact Representatives Tim Moore and Thom Tillis (contact information is below) and thank them for agreeing to move forward on Senate Bill 226. Representative Tim Moore: [email protected], 919-733-4838 Representative Thom Tillis: [email protected], 919-733-3451 |
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This is actually a big deal, IMO, for all North Carolinians, not just those unfortunates in Durham county. Ridding ourselves of local inconsistencies like this and Chapel Hills stupid open carry restriction are important for everyone in the state.
One might be surprised to find out that a Dem proposed the legislation to repeal the registry. It was their idea in the first place. If I was a Durham Co resident I would also like to see an order to destroy the current registry records upon passing of the bill. What do you think the chances are of that happening? |